Cardiovascular Physiology

PhysioEx Exercise 5:
Cardiovascular Dynamics – KEY
• Objectives:
• To define the following: blood flow, peripheral resistance, viscosity, systole, diastole, end diastolic
volume, stroke volume, cardiac output.
• To explore cardiovascular dynamics using experimental setup to stimulate a human body
function.
• To understand that heart and blood vessel functions are highly coordinated.
• To comprehend that pressure differences provide the driving force that moves blood through the
blood vessels.
• To recognize that body tissues may differ in their blood demands at a given time.
• To identify the most important factors in control of blood flow.
• To comprehend that changing blood vessel diameter can alter the pumping ability of the heart.
• To examine the effect of strike volume on blood flow.
• Activity 1: Studying the Effect of Blood Vessel Radius on Blood Flow Rate
• Experiment: The basic setup is two glass beakers connected by a tube through which a blood-like fluid flows.
Pressure is applied to one of the beakers to get the fluid to flow through the tube into the other beaker. This is a
model of circulation in which the applied pressure represents the pumping action of the heart. In this particular
experiment, pressure, viscosity, and length are kept constant (at 100 mm Hg, 1.0, and 50 mm, respectively) while
tube radius is varied between 1.5 and 5 mm. The purpose of the experiment was to see how radius affects flow
rate.
• Prediction: Answers will vary.
• Results: The graph below shows the effect of radius on flow rate. Flow rate increases dramatically (nonlinearly) as
radius is increased. For example, increasing the radius by a factor of 2 (from 1.5 mm to 3 mm) causes a nearly 16-
fold increase in flow (from 4.0 mL/min to 63.6 mL/min).
• Conclusion: The data are consistent with Poiseuille’s Law of Laminar Flow, which says that flow is proportional to
radius raised to the 4th power. Thus, small changes in vessel radius – as can be achieved by contraction or
relaxation of the smooth muscles surrounding a vessel – can cause large changes in flow.
• Activity 2: Studying the Effect of Blood Viscosity on Blood Flow Rate
• Experiment: Same as above, except that pressure, radius, and length were
held constant (at 100 mm Hg, 5 mm, and 50 mm) while viscosity was varied
between 1.0 and 8.0. Thus, the purpose of this experiment was to see how
fluid viscosity influences flow rate.
• Prediction: Answers will vary.
• Results: The graph below shows the effect of viscosity on flow rate. Flow
rate is inversely proportional to fluid viscosity: if the viscosity is doubled, the
flow rate is cut in half.
• Conclusion: These data are also consistent with Poiseuille’s Law of Laminar
Flow. The viscosity of blood can change according to the hematocrit; a higher
density of red blood cells makes the blood more viscous.
• Activity 3: Studying the Effect of Blood Vessel Length on Blood Flow Rate
• Experiment: Same as above, except that pressure, radius, and viscosity were
kept constant (at 100 mm Hg, 3 mm, and 3.5, respectively), while length was
varied between 10 and 40 mm. The purpose of the experiment was to
determine how length affects flow rate.
• Prediction: Answers will vary.
• Results: The graph below shows the effect of length on flow rate. The
relationship resembles the relationship between viscosity and flow rate in
Activity 2 above; as length increases, flow rate decreases.
• Conclusion: Once again, the data are consistent with Poiseuille’s law. The
impact of length on flow is not the most interesting part of Poiseuille’s law,
since the length of a given vessel does not vary from minute to minute or
month to month.
• Activity 4: Studying the Effect of Blood Pressure on Blood Flow Rate
• Experiment: Same as above, except this time the radius, viscosity, and length
were fixed (at 5 mm, 3.5, and 50 mm, respectively), while pressure was varied
between 25 and 200 mm Hg.
• Prediction: Answers will vary.
• Results: The graph below shows the effect of pressure on flow rate. The two
are linearly proportional; as pressure increases, the flow increases, with a
constant slope. For example, doubling the pressure doubles the flow rate.
• Conclusion: This experiment offers additional support for Poiseuille’s law. In
a real cardiovascular system, the blood pressure can be varied by adjusting
the heart’s pumping action, the degree of constriction/dilation of the blood
vessels, and/or the volume of blood in the system.
KVS FIZ
• Objectives:
• To list the properties of cardiac muscle as automaticity and rhythmicity and
define each.
• To explain the statement, "Cardiac muscle has an intrinsic ability to beat."
• To compare the relative length of the refractory period of cardiac muscle with
that of skeletal muscle, and explain why it is not possible to tetanize cardiac
muscle.
• To define extrasystole and to explain at what point the in the cardiac cycle
(and on an ECG tracing) an extrasystole can be induced.
• To describe the effect of the following on the heart rate: cold, heat, vagal
stimulation, pilocarpine, digitalis, atropine, epinephrine, and potassium,
sodium, and calcium ions
Activity 1: Investigating the Refractory Period of
Cardiac Muscle Lab Report
• Activity Questions:
• 1. The frog heart has only three chambers, two atria and a single incompletely divided ventricle. The human
• heart has four discreet chambers.
• 2. The extrasystole corresponds to an extra contraction of the ventricles. It was produced by administering a
• series of single stimuli in rapid succession.
• 3. Wave summation and tetanus do not occur in cardiac muscle because the flow of blood through the heart
• is dependent upon the atria contracting fully and the ventricles contracting fully. Summation would prevent
• the heart from pumping properly.

• Predict Question 1: When you increase the frequency of the stimulation, the amplitude will not change.
• Predict Question 2: Neither wave summation nor tetanus will occur at 20 stimuli per second.
Activity 2: Examining the Effect of Vagus Nerve
Stimulation Lab Report
• If you apply multiple stimuli to the heart via the vagus nerve, the heart rate will decrease
• and the heart will stop.
• Activity Questions:
• 1. Stimulation of the vagus nerve decreases the heart rate.
• 2. The sympathetic nervous system increases the heart rate and also increases the force of
contraction
• of the heart.
• 3. The resumption of the heartbeat is referred to as vagal escape and can be the result of
sympathetic reflexes
• or initiation of a rhythm by the Purkinje fibers.
• 4. The heart rate would increase if the vagus nerve was cut.
Activity 3: Examining the Effect of Temperature on
Heart Rate Lab.
• Predict Question 1: Decreasing the
temperature of the Ringer’s solution
will result in a decrease in heart rate.
• Predict Question 2: Increasing the
temperature of the Ringer’s solution
will result in an increase in heart
rate.
• Activity Questions:
• 1. Ringer’s solution consists of
essential electrolytes required for
the spontaneous action potentials
• of the heart.
• 2. Decreasing the temperature of
the Ringer’s solution resulted in a
decrease in heart rate.
• 3. Fever would increase the internal
Activity 4: Examining the Effects of Chemical
Modifiers on Heart Rate Lab Report
• Predict Question 1: Pilocarpine will decrease heart
rate.
• Predict Question 2: Atropine will increase heart rate.

• Activity Questions:
• 1. If a modifier works in the same fashion it is an
agonist, for example, pilocarpine is an acetylcholine
• agonist. If the modifier works in the opposite
direction, it is an antagonist, for example, atropine is
an
• acetylcholine antagonist.
• 2. Epinephrine increases the heart rate and also
increases the force of contraction of the heart.
• 3. Atropine increases the heart rate because it is an
acetylcholine antagonist.
• 4. Digitalis decreases the heart rate and increases the
Activity 5: Examining the Effects of Various Ions
on Heart Rate Lab
• Predict Question 1: Calcium should be positive
inotropic (increasing the force of contraction) and
positive
• chronotropic (increasing the heart rate).
• Predict Question 2: The initial effect of potassium
should be to decrease the heart rate.
• Activity Questions:
• 1. Modifiers that affect heart rate are chronotropic,
and modifiers that affect the force of contraction are
• inotropic.
• 2. The addition of calcium ions to the frog heart
increased the heart rate.
• 3. Calcium channel blockers reduce the force of
contraction of the heart which would decrease blood
• pressure. Additionally, calcium channel blockers
reduce the amount of calcium that flows into vascular
• A C T I V I T Y 1 Investigating the Refractory Period of Cardiac Muscle • The heart can overcome excessive vagal stimulation
1. Explain why the larger waves seen on the oscilloscope represent ventricular contraction. through sympathetic reflexes and the initiation of a rhythm by the Purkinje fibers.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________ The sympathetic
and parasympathetic branches can take turns dominating depending upon what is going on in the body.
___ back to the 100 bpm, the intrinsic rate.
2. Explain why the amplitude of the wave did not change when you increased the frequency of the stimulation. The heart rate would speed up. It would go
(Hint: Relate your Decreasing the temperature of the frog heart decreased the heart rate.
response to the refractory period of the cardiac action potential.) How well did the results compare with your This effect would not be seen in humans because we are not poikilothermic animals.
prediction? M55_MARI0000_00_SE_EX06.qxd 7/15/11 4:30 PM Page 387
_______________________________________________________________________________________________ 388 Review Sheet 6
___ Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Describe why Ringer’s solution is required to maintain heart contractions.
______________________________________
___
________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Why is it only possible to induce an extrasystole during relaxation? __
____________________________________________ 3. Explain the effect that increasing the temperature had on the frog heart. How do you think the human heart would
_______________________________________________________________________________________________ respond?
___ How well did the results compare with your prediction?
4. Explain why wave summation and tetanus are not possible in cardiac muscle tissue. How well did the results _____________________________________________________
compare with ________________________________________________________________________________________________
your prediction? __
A C T I V I T Y 4 Examining the Effects of Chemical Modifiers on Heart Rate
____________________________________________________________________________________
1. Describe the effect that pilocarpine had on the heart and why it had this effect. How well did the results compare
_______________________________________________________________________________________________ with your
___ prediction?
A C T I V I T Y 2 Examining the Effect of Vagus Nerve Stimulation ________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Explain the effect that extreme vagus nerve stimulation had on the heart. How well did the results compare with ________________________________________________________________________________________________
your prediction? __
_______________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Atropine is an acetylcholine antagonist. Does atropine inhibit or enhance the effects of acetylcholine? Describe your
___ results
and how they correlate with how the drug works. How well did the results compare with your prediction?
2. Explain two ways that the heart can overcome excessive vagal stimulation.
_____________
______________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________ __
___ 3. Describe the benefits of administering digitalis.
3. Describe how the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems work together to regulate heart rate. ___________________________________________________________
_____________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________ __
___ 4. Distinguish between cholinergic and adrenergic chemical modifiers. Include examples of each in your discussion.
______
4. What do you think would happen to the heart rate if the vagus nerve was cut?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________ __
_______________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________
___ __
A C T I V I T Y 3 Examining the Effect of Temperature on Heart Rate A C T I V I T Y 5 Examining the Effects of Various Ions on Heart Rate
1. Explain the effect that decreasing the temperature had on the frog heart. How do you think the human heart 1. Describe the effect that increasing the calcium ions had on the heart. How well did the results compare with your
would respond? prediction?
How well did the results compare with your prediction? ________________________________________________________________________________________________
__
_____________________________________________________
2. Describe the effect that increasing the potassium ions initially had on the heart in this activity. Relate this to the
_______________________________________________________________________________________________ resting
___ membrane potential of the cardiac muscle cell. How well did the results compare with your prediction?
The ventricles are larger chambers therefore, when they contract they generate more force thus producing a larger _______________
wave. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
The amplitude did not change because of the long absolute refractory period of cardiac muscle tissue which insures __
that the extrasystole 3. Describe how calcium channel blockers are used to treat patients and why.
doesn’t occur during contraction. ______________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
The extrasystole did not occur until relaxation and so we
__